The invention broadly relates to dunnage of the type utilized as spacers and stabilizers for transport loads, as in railroad boxcars, trucks and container ships.
Such dunnage basically comprises void fillers which are used to fill spaces between articles, shipping containers, and the like, or between such containers and one or more walls of the transport vehicle.
In recent years void fillers have conventionally been formed of corrugated paperboard or cardboard utilizing a collapsible honeycomb structure adapted to collapse for shipment and storage, and expanded for use.
Problems arise with void fillers of this type, including the necessity for rather complex arrangements of the strips utilized to form the honeycomb core in seeking the ability to compactly collapse, while at the same time providing a stable structure without distortion when erected.
The various known structures, notwithstanding the desire for simplicity and economy, must also utilize a substantial amount of material in repeated patterns of cells which in turn provide an appreciable bulk when collapsed. This bulk is clearly not desirable when the collapsed dunnage or void formers are to be stored or shipped.
Problems have also been noted with regard to the tendency for the expanded honeycomb to provide a distorted configuration to the erected void filler.